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Eye exam: Do I need a laser retina scan?
By Mayo Clinic staff
- With Mayo Clinic emeritus ophthalmologist
Dennis Robertson, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Dennis Robertson, M.D.
Dennis Robertson, M.D.
Dennis M. Robertson was born in South St. Paul, Minn., and grew up in a musical family on the Mississippi River. He completed his undergraduate and graduate training at the University of Minnesota, where he received a B.A., B.S. and M.D.
Following an internship at San Bernardino County Hospital in California, he worked for two years on Indian reservations under the umbrella of the U.S. Public Health Service. He later completed a residency in ophthalmology at Mayo Clinic and pursued postgraduate fellowship training in vitreoretinal disorders at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami. He returned to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he worked as a consultant from 1967 until retiring from clinical activities in December 2007.
His studies included a sabbatical during 1987 and 1988 at Moorfields and St. Bartholomew’s hospitals in London. His scientific interests have been chiefly in disorders of the retina and vitreous and ocular oncology. In 1999, he became the recipient of the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Professorship.
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Question
Eye exam: Do I need a laser retina scan?
My optometrist is offering an Optomap retinal exam, which isn't covered by my insurance. Is this a necessary screening test for retina disorders?
Answer
from Dennis Robertson, M.D.
"Optomap" is a brand name for a type of eye exam that uses a laser to scan and photograph your retinas at a wider angle than can be achieved in a traditional eye exam performed by your eye doctor. While this type of exam has some benefits, it's not currently considered standard care, and is usually not covered by insurance. If you choose to have a laser retina exam, it should be a complement to, not a substitute for, your annual eye exam.
In a traditional eye exam, your eye doctor dilates your eyes with special eyedrops, and then checks your retinas for abnormalities using an ophthalmoscope, a lighted magnifying instrument. In a laser retina scan, your eyes may or may not be dilated. A laser scans your eyes in seconds, and then produces digital images of your retinas. Your doctor can use the images to check for abnormalities. The images can be saved in your medical record to compare the condition of your retinas from year to year.
Although some studies have found that laser retina scans can help your eye doctor diagnose problems in your retinas, the scans have limitations. Despite the wide angle the laser captures, a laser scan may not be able to detect problems on the outside edges of your retinas, and if you are at a higher risk of retinal disorders, you should still have a routine retina exam. A careful examination will be able to evaluate even the extreme edges of your retinas where abnormalities can be present.
- Woof WH, et al. The scanning laser ophthalmoscope: Basic principles and applications. Journal of Ophthalmic Photography. 1990;12:17.
- Mackenzie PJ, et al. Sensitivity and specificity of the Optos Optomap for detecting peripheral retinal lesions. Retina. 2007;27:1119.
- Comprehensive adult medical eye evaluation. American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://one.aao.org/CE/PracticeGuidelines/PPP_Content.aspx?cid=153cbf54-fb49-4771-ad13-644da74d8348. Accessed Aug. 7, 2009.
- Cheng SCK, et al. Use of the Optomap with lid retraction and its sensitivity and specificity. Clinical and Experimental Optometry. 2008;91:373.
